IGN's 2014 TV Show Obituary: Here's What Got Cancelled

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The endangered series list is no more, now that final decisions have been made.

By Eric Goldman

Update (5/21/14): Welcome to the 2014 edition of the IGN TV Show Obituary, formerly known as the "Endangered Series" list. With all of the broadcast networks having announced their fall lineups last week (and thus making their final renewal and cancellation decisions) it's time to put another endangered list to bed...

Per usual, you'll find shows below that ended for very different reasons. A lucky few got to end "naturally," with pre-announced final seasons and true series finales. But for the unfortunate remainder, whether after one season or five, the show was more abruptly cancelled - some series with more closure than others when last we saw them.

Note that our focus here is specifically on broadcast network series that ran during the traditional TV season, so cable shows (which don't operate under the same September-May TV season cycle) or summer series are not included.

Almost Human

This J.J. Abrams-produced series, from Fringe's J.H. Wyman, never found the larger audience Sleepy Hollow did in the fall, yet it also averaged only slightly lower ratings than The Following (which is renewed) on Mondays. However, The Following's audience was larger when DVR usage was factored in, and with FOX having already renewed many series and ordering a lot of news ones early, the decision was made to end the buddy cop series after one season.

The Assets

This semi-experimental series, produced, oddly, by ABC's news division, was a quick bomb out of the gates and yanked after two horribly-rated airings.

Back in the Game

Among ABC's new fall comedies, this little league-centered one, starring Maggie Lawson and James Caan, was the only one not to make it into the spring, cancelled with three episodes left unaired.

Bad Teacher

Picked up to series after the usual Upfronts announcements last year, and then debuting very late in the season, it was hard not to feel CBS was somewhat just throwing Bad Teacher out there. Unfortunately, while it only was on the air for a few weeks, its ratings dropped below the also-cancelled The Crazy Ones and CBS decided to end the show.

Believe

Betrayal

There was no way ABC was bringing back this dud, which was virtually ignored on Sundays in the fall.

The Carrie Diaries

Friday nights are certainly not a death sentence on The CW, but The Carrie Diaries, moved to Fridays in Season 2, did not find the same foothold other shows have in the past for the network.

Community

Yeah, this one hurts. Community had been on the bubble for years, yet always managed to get a last-minute renewal. The shows chances seemed more optimistic this season than before, but ultimately, NBC decided to end the show after Season 5 - breaking the prophecy of six seasons and a movie! There is some hope that Sony, who produce the series, will find another outlet for Community, but for now, the show is over.

The Crazy Ones

Despite the star power of Robin Williams and Sarah Michelle Gellar, The Crazy Ones -- standing out as a single camera series among multi-camera fare --- didn't draw the same size audience as any of the shows on CBS' Thursday night comedy lineup.

Crisis

Like the show it was paired with on Sundays, Believe, Crisis didn't find a lot of viewers in its early weeks, leading to its quick demise.

Dads

This Seth MacFarlane comedy was a critical punching bag in the fall, yet actually was sometimes getting better ratings than other shows on the same night, including the now-renewed The Mindy Project. Still, with no real buzz to accompany it and the number of episodes ordered cut in Season 1, it was one and done for Dads.

Dracula

Like Hannibal, Dracula was an international coproduction, making it less expensive for NBC. However, its critical reception was mainly the opposite of the series it shared a timeslot with and it wasn't believed to be as cheap for NBC as Hannibal on a cost level.

Enlisted

While Enlisted had a lot of critical support and a small but passionate fanbase, it had an uphill battle to fight from the moment it premiered, given how much smaller the sampling would be for it on Fridays. The show was eventually pulled from the schedule with four episodes left unaired, and alas, finally cancelled.

Friends with Better Lives

CBS gave this midseason series a terrific launching pad, airings its premiere after the high-rated How I Met Your Mother finale. However, when it began to fall in the weeks after, it was given a quick cancellation.

Growing Up Fisher

While did better than the entire Thursday night lineup does for NBC, it was still dropping from About a Boy's lead-in, which itself was obviously benefiting from The Voice running before it. Not feeling there was much of a fanbase for Fisher on its own, NBC ended the series.

Hostages

How I Met Your Mother

Going from a bubble show to a strong hit, How I Met Your Mother was a big success story for CBS - ultimately going for a rather amazing nine seasons. Some criticize the show for going on too long, but regardless, this was the year CBS, the producers and the well paid cast decided to wrap up Ted's very detailed story to his children.

Intelligence

While performing slightly better than Hostages, which it replaced on Mondays, Intelligence was still was way below par for the hits on CBS.

Ironside

NBC's latest attempt to reboot an old hit (see Bionic Woman, Knight Rider... or don't, since they didn't make it either) was a dud, despite the presence of the charismatic Blair Underwood.

Killer Women

The promos touted the involvement of Sofia Vergara as executive producer, but few tuned in to this story of a Texas Ranger, played by BSG's Tricia Helfer. Here's hoping Helfer can find the right project for her down the line.

Lucky 7

The show to have the unwanted "honor" of becoming the first cancellation of the fall was this ABC remake of a UK series about a group of gas station attendants who win the lottery.

The Michael J. Fox Show

NBC won a bidding war for Fox's return to the sitcom world that first made him a star and not only bypassed the pilot stage, but gave The Michael J. Fox Show a full 22-episode commitment. However, the network continued to be unable to launch a new comedy hit on Thursday nights, leading to MFJ being pulled from the schedule.

Mind Games

Poor Kyle Killen can't seem to catch a break. The creator of Lone Star and Awake went for a broader, more proceduralized tone with Mind Games, but the show still didn't connect with audiences, and was the latest ratings dud for ABC in their troubled Tuesday, 10pm timeslot.

Mixology

Eyes rolled when ABC choose to put this poorly-reviewed series in its best comedy timeslot, following Modern Family - though ABC has had little success getting a show to hold onto that hit comedy's lead-in ratings, regardless of reviews. Ultimately, Mixology was another ho-hum performer and the plug was pulled after one season.

The Neighbors

Overcoming initially scathing reviews, The Neighbors did well enough with families to get a second season - while critics began to come around on the series, finding it increasingly clever and fun. But ratings were on a downward trajectory, causing ABC to cancel it.

Nikita

While it's too bad Season 4 was only six episodes, it's still hard not to be thankful that Nikita got a fourth and final season, giving the creators the chance to give this ever-cool, ever-underrated series a proper conclusion.

Once Upon a Time in Wonderland

ABC's president, Paul Lee, has admitted he made a mistake not sticking with the original plan to air Wonderland as a shorter-season series that would occupy Once Upon a Time's timeslot in the winter, in-between the fall and spring runs of Once Upon a Time on Sundays. But the damage was done and Wonderland, despite some positive response, was virtually ignored on Thursdays, turning it into a one-season spinoff.

Raising Hope

Well-liked but rarely hyped, Raising Hope was moved to Friday's this season. Having reached a syndication-ready 88 episodes, the show's end was announced, making this the second Greg Garcia series, after My Name is Earl, to have a four season run.

Rake

Rather than yank Rake off the air, after its first very low-rated episodes, FOX moved the Greg Kinnear series to Fridays - and then burnt it off on Saturdays.

Revolution

Moved from its cushy Voice lead-in, Revolution predictably lost a lot of viewers in Season 2, coming off a year where it creatively struggled and was perceived as a disappointment, given its pedigree. I'm of the mind, as are others, that Season 2 saw Revolution turn into a much better show, but that didn't change the numbers and while it was a down to the wire decision, NBC chose to cancel it.

Sean Saves the World

NBC's other new Thursday comedy featuring a former NBC Thursday night comedy star, Sean Saves the World, like The Michael J. Fox Show, didn't find anywhere near the audience the network had hoped for.

Star-Crossed

The CW have done quite well with both genre series and shows with a lot of female appeal, but this attempt to blend a sci-fi story with a Romeo & Juliet type romance failed to resonate.

Suburgatory

While Suburgatory's fate was precarious last year, things were looking better for the show this season for a little while... Only for ABC to decide to end the comedy after three seasons.

Super Fun Night

There was a lot of disappointment over this series, which took such a notable rising star in Rebel Wilson and failed to capitalize on her appeal.

Surviving Jack

Airing after American Idol would once have been a huge deal, but with that series showing its age -- in the form of much lower ratings -- FOX didn't do this new Bill Lawrence-produced comedy a lot of favors airing it after Idol on Thursdays at 9:30. Though it had its fans, the 90s-set comedy came to a quick end.

The Tomorrow People

The CW hoped to have another superhero themed hit with this remake of the cult British series, and accordingly paired it with Arrow in the fall. Unfortunately, it failed to retain Arrow's ratings and the success of The 100 -- which held up better in the same timeslot -- likely sealed its fate.

Trophy Wife

There was a lot of critical love for Trophy Wife, but it struggled enormously in the ratings. It's failure to hold onto much of the audience of its lead-in, The Goldbergs, which it debuted with, ultimately led to its demise.

We Are Men

CBS' critically-lambasted comedy about a guy who is left at the altar becoming buddies with three advice-ready dudes was quickly yanked by the network, when it became clear it wasn't drawing anywhere near the norm for the high-rated network.

Welcome to the Family

The NBC comedy, about two men who dislike each other becoming connected by their kids' relationship, was the first of NBC's new fall comedies to be cancelled.

The X Factor

The failure of The X Factor has to sting for both FOX and Simon Cowell. The show is an enormous hit in the UK and expectations were that it could be a big success in the US as well. But The Voice stole much of its thunder and while the show got three seasons, there was never any excitement around it - even when they added the likes of Britney Spears. With a ton of new scripted series already ordered for next season, FOX threw in the towel.

Continue to Page 2 for the shows that are safe and will be back for sure next season.